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    Food, Earth, and Water Resilience

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Food, Earth, and Water Resilience

This research program focuses on the ecosystem contexts of soil and water, and the systems of food production and food
security.

Healthy soils, waterways and oceans provide clean water, air, and quality food for humans and all life. Understanding how ecosystems interact to support biodiversity and productivity is foundational for forest, arid and aquatic ecosystems, particularly in rural, urban, and coastal contexts. The research seeks to support sustainable food systems, in part by investigating how soils gain and lose organic carbon, and how soil and landscape water content is maintained, particularly in the context of climate change. The research also explores food production, access, and policy to enable better food in regional Western Australian communities.  This includes better food production methods, strategies to support access and delivering better food quality. There is a substantial disparity between metropolitan, and regional and remote WA with respect to food availability, cost, and quality. The research seeks to understand how to transition local government and community organisations towards a more effective and sustainable way of supporting food security and local/regional food systems.

Projects

Food Community

Researchers/Community Engagement Team

  • Dr Stephanie Godrich
  • Isabelle Chiera
  • Jess Doe
  • Sarah Goodwin
  • Aleisha Whitehouse
  • Prof Amanda Devine
  • A/Prof Mel Stoneham (Public Health Advocacy Institute)
  • Emily Humphreys (Systems Change for Good)
  • Tom Tuddenham (Eventide Systems)
  • Lisa Tuddenham (Eventide Systems)

Guiding People and Organisations 
Food Action Groups:

  • Jo Pollitt (Edith Cowan University)
  • Prof Karen Charlton (University of Wollongong)
  • A/Prof Flavio Macau (Edith Cowan University)
  • Dr Rebecca Lindberg (Deakin University)
  • Dr Tahna Pettman (Flinders University)
  • A/Prof Deana Leahy (Monash University)
  • Dr Amy Carrad (Australian National University)
  • Dr Katherine Kent (University of Wollongong)

Food Community

  • Aboriginal Health Planning Forums across WA regions
  • Individual organisations such as ACCOs, non-government organisations, individuals, community members, participants and stakeholders at our many events and workshops.
  • Statewide advisory group
  • WA Country Health Service as a statewide partner

Description
Food Community aims to identify, map, evaluate, and strengthen initiatives supporting physical, social, and economic access to food in regional Western Australia. This is the first government-funded, whole-of-state systems change project in Australia. We are using a Systemic Innovation Lab approach, underpinned by nine Focus Areas and 36 evidence-based characteristics, which support communities and governments to transition to a new and better way of addressing food security. This place-based project works in collaboration with regional communities and food security stakeholders.

Funding
Healthway - Health Promotion Project Grant

Partners

  • ECU
  • WA Country Health Service
  • Wicked Lab
  • Public Health Advocacy Institute
  • Advised and endorsed by Aboriginal governance groups across regional WA
  • Guided by a statewide advisory group comprised of local government, state government, and community stakeholders.

Publications

  1. Rewa, J., Devine, A., Godrich, S. (2020). South West Food Community: understanding systemic change, and its associated challenges and successes, among food security projects. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 44(6), 493-501. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.13046.
  2. Godrich, S., Stoneham, M., Edmunds, M., Devine, A. (2020). South West Food Community: how government and community initiatives are supporting systemic change towards enhanced food security. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 44(2), 129-136. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12975.
  3. Rewa, J., Devine, A., Godrich, S. (2021). Food community: Understanding community needs for a food security website to support rural and remote Western Australians. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 32(S2), 283-291. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.433.
  4. Godrich, S., Payet, J., Brealey, D., Edmunds, M., Stoneham, M., Devine, A. (2019). South West Food Community: A Place-Based Pilot Study to Understand the Food Security System. Nutrients, 11(4), Article number 738. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040738.

Website
www.foodcommunity.com.au

Facebook
Food Community

PEAT – Protecting Peatland Ecosystems and Addressing Threats in Southwestern Australia

Chief Investigators

  • Dr Dave Blake
  • Prof Pierre Horwitz

Funding
Ian Potter Foundation, 2023-2028, $879,816

Partners

  • Project is co-led by Edith Cowan University and the University of WA
  • Guided by Pibulmun and Minang Noongar Elders
  • Collaboration between university scientists, managers, and community members, including the Department of Biodiversity, Conversation and Attractions, the Western Australian Museum and the Walpole-Nornalup National Park Association.

Description
This project includes knowledge of peatlands held by the Pibulmun and Minang people, and scientific understandings of geodiversity, biodiversity and hydrology of peatlands. Together this knowledge will be used to design management strategies to conserve peatlands.

Predicting and Managing the Impacts of Fire on Water Quality and Water-Related Assets

Chief Investigators

  • Prof Pierre Horwitz
  • Dr Dave Blake
  • Dr Konrad Miotlinski
  • A/Prof Mary Boyce

Funding
Water Corporation,  2019-2023,  $825,000

Partners

  • Mrs Jacquie Bellhouse
  • Dr Amanda Mitchell and Dr Andrew Bath
  • Water Corporation
  • Stakeholder Reference Group with representatives from government agencies and community groups.

Description
This project seeks to improve the capabilities of models to predict possible impacts, identify risks and hotspots for water quality and erosion concerns, and make risk based decisions in regards to the catchments and assets in fire risk areas. The project also aims to further strengthen a catchment manager’s ability to appropriately react to fire events with correct mitigation/recovery activities.

Publications

  1. Tshering, K., Miotlinski, K., Blake, D., Boyce, M., Bath, A., Do Carmo Carvalho, A., Horwitz, P. (2023). Effect Of Fire On Characteristics Of Dissolved Organic Matter In Forested Catchments In The Mediterranean Biome: A Review. Water Research, 230, 119490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2022.119490.
  2. Miotliński, K., Tshering, K., Boyce, M. C., Blake, D., & Horwitz, P. (2023). Simulated temperatures of forest fires affect water solubility in soil and litter. Ecological Indicators, 150, 110236.

Rebecca Voisin PhD Research

Chief Investigators

  • PhD candidate: Rebecca Voisin
  • Supervisors: Professor Amanda Devine, Dr Stephanie Godrich, Ms Ros Sambell, Professor Pierre Horwitz, Dr Katherine Cullerton (UQ)

Funding
HDR Research Training Scholarship, $33,000 pa over 2.5 years

Description
Rapid transformations to sustainable agriculture that meets more-than-human needs are required. To support agricultural transformation, benchmarking and measurements of key sustainability indicators is required. Many agricultural metrics incorporate the three-pillar model of sustainability, including environment, economic and social. It is argued that a more comprehensive framing is required to consider other aspects integral to equitable sustainability including health, culture, and governance. A range of comprehensive sustainability metrics have been identified through a scoping review, and an advisory panel will be established to guide the place-based relevance and implementation of a sustainability measurement system in southern Western Australian horticultural operations.

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